"Excellent! A swordsman should possess such pride." The Holy Master of Ten Thousand Swords smiled with satisfaction, then turned to look at a young woman in yellow standing within the hall. "Xun'er, take Ling Tian to get settled."
The young woman in yellow nodded slightly and turned to walk out of the hall.
"Senior Sister."Ling Tian quickly followed the young woman out. He bowed respectfully to this Holy Land disciple with her gentle expression and handsome features.
He had to admit, the young woman before him was extremely beautiful—a light yellow dress, voluminous hair, and delicate features.
Yet,unlike the usual cold arrogance found on the faces of proud young women, her face held a kind, amiable smile.
"Might I ask how I should address you,Senior Sister?"
Ling Tian, accustomed to enduring humiliation daily within the Ling Clan, had rarely encountered such a gentle woman. A faint sense of goodwill spontaneously arose in his heart.
Moreover,with the perception granted by his Divine Body, he actually sensed a faint ripple of Dao Principle emanating from this young woman.
A monstrous talent!
This girl is anything but ordinary.
"My name is Ye Xun'er. You can call me Senior Sister Xun'er. Junior Brother Ling Tian, let me show you around the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land first." Ye Xun'er gave a sweet smile, waiting for Ling Tian to catch up before walking towards the distant cloud-wreathed, elegant peaks.
She had also sensed the sharp,intimidating aura emanating from the young man moments before.
Although this Ling Tian had no Dantian Sea and was,frankly, a good-for-nothing, Ye Xun'er didn't detect a trace of dejection in him. Instead, she sensed an ambition to defy the heavens.
A young man like this was far more interesting than those senior brothers in the Holy Land who prattled on about the sword being supreme,righteousness, and virtue all day long.
"Look, who's that with Junior Sister Xun'er?"
"Don't know,looks unfamiliar!"
"Huh?He doesn't seem to have any spiritual power fluctuations? A waste?"
"I remember now!The Holy Master brought back the Ling Clan's Second Young Master, Ling Tian, earlier, saying he wanted to take him as a disciple."
"What?That really happened??"
"Tch,all thanks to having a good father."
"I heard this Second Young Master has never gotten along with the Ling Clan heir.Isn't the Holy Master...?"
"Shh,watch your words! But... looking at Junior Sister Xun'er, she seems quite warm towards that pretty boy."
"Hmph,so what if he's a bit handsome? Does being handsome make you special?"
"Sorry to break it to you,but being handsome does seem to count for something."
A group of Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land disciples, standing around the main hall, watched the chatting and smiling Ling Tian and Ye Xun'er, their eyes filled with intense jealousy.
Ye Xun'er's status was special.She was the Holy Master's true disciple and the Great Elder's maternal granddaughter. Within the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land, she was the pearl everyone gazed upon.
Furthermore,although young, her talent was monstrous. She had already stepped into the Breakthrough Realm and comprehended a Dao Principle.
She was hailed as the most powerful talent the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land had seen in nearly five hundred years.
Only...
While Ye Xun'er's talent was excellent,it didn't lie in the sword path.
Although she yearned for the pinnacle of sword dao,it was simply not meant to be...
"Look, it's the Great Senior Brother! The Great Senior Brother is here!"
At the far end of the plaza,a figure in grey robes suddenly descended gracefully. He was handsome, his aura natural and profound, his sword intent intimidating the very clouds. As he walked, it was as if the wind followed him.
"This is getting interesting. Senior Brother Yu has always had feelings for Junior Sister Xun'er. That Ling Tian is probably in for some trouble."
"Meh,he's still a young master of the Ling Clan. No matter how displeased Senior Brother Yu is, he wouldn't dare beat him to death."
A hint of schadenfreude flashed in the eyes of many disciples.
The Great Senior Brother of the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land, Yu Yuntian, was the Sect Master's true disciple. Whether he was steady or not was debatable, but his cultivation was undoubtedly terrifying.
Although he hadn't comprehended a Dao Principle to earn the title of'monster', he made up for it with his long cultivation time. He was now a powerhouse at the mid Breakthrough Realm.
Moreover,as fellow true disciples of the Sect Master, Yu Yuntian was always seen together with Ye Xun'er. While neither had ever admitted to any private relationship, whenever Senior Brother Yu was questioned about it, he never outright denied it either.
He would always dismiss it with a phrase like,"Don't talk nonsense. We disciples of the Sword Sect should focus on the sword path."
If there's nothing, just say so directly! Wouldn't that be simpler?
The more you evade like this, the more it seems like you're trying to hide something!
Consequently,all the disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land now believed that Senior Brother Yu and Junior Sister Ye were... an item.
Now, as Yu Yuntian looked at Ye Xun'er and Ling Tian, a warm smile spread across his face.
But deep within his eyes,a cold light seemed to flicker.
"Junior Sister Xun'er,who is this...?" Yu Yuntian looked Ling Tian up and down, a seemingly curious glint in his eyes.
In truth, he already knew Ling Tian's identity. He just hadn't expected him to hit it off with Ye Xun'er so quickly.
As expected, none of the Ling Clan young masters are any good.
It's said that the Ling Clan heir, Ling Xiao, revels night and day and even dared to publicly harass the Divine Maiden of the Dao Palace.
One can imagine what sort of scum this Ling Tian must be.
He did like Ye Xun'er and had his eye on her status and background.
But from start to finish,this little junior sister never seemed particularly interested in him, merely showing him respect.
And Ling Tian's identity put immense pressure on him.
Fortunately,it was said he was a waste.
Heh, a waste. As the Great Senior Brother, how can I not... take good care of him?
In this world, it's not just the righteous who can have sinister hearts.
Human nature is inherently evil; it depends on how you restrain it.
"Senior Brother Yu, this is Junior Brother Ling Tian. The Holy Master just accepted him as a nominal disciple. Junior Brother Ling, this is Senior Brother Yu, the Great Senior Brother of our lineage." Ye Xun'er quickly introduced the two.
Meanwhile, a trace of bitterness seemed to tug at the corner of Ling Tian's mouth.
Judging by this Senior Brother Yu's demeanor, he seems rather hostile towards me.
I've only just arrived at the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land, and I've already earned the Great Senior Brother's animosity?
Is it because of Ye Xun'er?
Ling Tian, having endured seven years within the Ling Clan, was absolutely top-tier when it came to reading people and situations.
How could he not see the hint of greed and gloom in Yu Yuntian's eyes?
However,he was new to the Holy Land, his footing still unstable. Offending Yu Yuntian now would be unwise.
Ling Tian's temperament had been polished smooth over those seven years.In his view, all impulsiveness was useless, childish, and self-inflicted.
As long as he endured,endured, and endured some more, one day he would make everyone regret looking down on him.
To rise high, one must first fall low. Just keep laying low.
"Senior Sister, since Senior Brother is here, you should attend to your matters. I can look around by myself." Ling Tian very politely put a bit of distance between himself and Ye Xun'er.
He did feel some goodwill towards this kind,gentle senior sister, but it was far from making him lose his reason.
For now,it seemed best to keep a slight distance from her.
"Does Senior Brother need me for something?" Ye Xun'er's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Ling Tian, puzzled.
Didn't this junior brother just ask me to show him around a moment ago?
Why does he want me to leave now?
"Uh, Junior Sister, the maple leaves on North Mountain have turned red. I wanted to ask you..."
"If Senior Brother has no urgent business,then I'll take Junior Brother Ling Tian on the tour. Junior Brother, let me take you to enjoy the scenery on North Mountain." Without even giving Yu Yuntian a chance to finish, Ye Xun'er directly grabbed Ling Tian's hand and walked off into the distance.
"Hiss!!"
"They're holding hands!Look, they're holding hands!!"